Save Money by Making Your Own Beef Jerky

Beef jerky prices are insane! In my part of the world a small bag of jerky is in the $12 to $15 range! That winds up being over $30 a pound. Sure, I could go with a cheaper brand that has some questionable ingredients, but I’d rather keep that money in my family’s coffers and keep my family healthy.

Since you’re reading this post, you probably want the same thing too.

Beef jerky is so simple. There are many different ways to make it. I encourage you to do some research to see what method suits your needs best. You can use your oven, a dehydrator, over an open fire, in a smoker; the list goes on and on. You can use a wet cure or a dry cure, and vary the flavors and ingredients to fit your tastes. The skills required are basic. The only thing you will really need to prepare for is the timing. Jerky making takes a lot of time, almost all of it passive. It’s not quite ‘set it and forget it’ but pretty close.

Today I am going to show you how I make a wet cured jerky in my smoker. I have also made dry cured jerky in my oven. Let me know down in the comments if you’d like me to make a post about that method. Wet cured jerky is a little more like the jerky you’d find in most stores, so it is a good starting point.

Supplies

• Beef. Eye of round or London Broil are good choices. I’m using an eye of round.
• Soy sauce or aminos, or coconut aminos. I like a naturally brewed, gluten-free soy sauce, but the others work just as well.
• Herbs and spices. Think about your favorite jerky flavors. I am using some basic seasonings on mine: granulated onion and garlic, red pepper flakes.
• Sharp knife and cutting board.
• Leak-proof container for curing. I like to use a 9×13 pyrex with a lid.
• Smoker and wood of choice.
• Something to store the finished jerky. I usually use a gallon ziploc bag because my family devours the entire batch in a few days. A glass jar also works.

Instructions

24 – 72 hours ahead

We need to slice the meat, get it in the cure, and put it in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours, but up to 3 days. The longer you leave it, the more of the cure it will absorb, resulting in a stronger flavor. I like to leave mine for the full 3 days.

How thick you want your jerky slices is up to you, but I wouldn’t go much over 1/4 inch. It takes a long time to dry out if you make it really thick. Also, you can cut your jerky strips against the grain or with the grain. Cutting against the grain will yield a more tender piece of jerky, while cutting with the grain will make a chewier jerky. I like both, so I usually cut some of each.

Time to make our cure. You could choose to mix all the ingredients together beforehand, but I prefer to build it in layers as I am putting the meat in the pyrex. Kinda like jerky lasagna.

After you have all of your meat in the cure, seal up your container and place in your refrigerator for 24 – 72 hours.

Smoking Day (All Day)

Time to pull your meat out of the fridge and get it in the smoker. (Use your common sense here, if your meat smells rotten, don’t use it, throw it out.) I like to get my meat into the smoker first, without warming up the smoker. I find it easier to avoid burns and smoke in my eyes that way. Place your jerky in a single layer across the rack or racks of your smoker. I like to use a silicon mesh mat on top of the racks. It makes it a little easier to retrieve the jerky pieces, but it isn’t necessary. You can also hang your jerky strips from the bars on your racks. This will help your jerky dry a little faster, but again, it isn’t necessary.

Grab your wood of choice and load it into your smoker. I used hickory this time. I also like mesquite. Set your temperature between 200 – 220 F. You won’t need any water for this. You want to dry out the meat. Also set the flue to open so there is maximum airflow to really get the meat drying.

How long you will need to smoke depends on a lot of factors. I find it best to monitor the jerky and check it every couple of hours. I find that it takes me between 6 – 8 hours to get to the right dryness.

When your jerky reaches the white strand stage, take it out of the smoker and let it sit at room temperature to cool and finish drying. I like to give it a couple of hours rest time before I package it.

Once it’s cool and dry, package your jerky in whatever container you choose and store at room temperature. I have no idea how long this will keep. Use your best judgement, if it smells funky, or looks funky, err on the side of caution and throw it away. My family will eat it all in less than 2 weeks. Good thing it is inexpensive!

There you have it! A simple method and recipe for beef jerky. I love being able to save money, have control over my ingredients, and feed my family the meat they need to grow and stay healthy.

As always I’d love to hear your questions and comments!